Grouting device



R. s. STEPHENS GROUTING DEVICE May 4, 1948.

Filed Feb 20, 1946 wwww Patented May 4, 1948 UNITED -PA'TENT "F F I CE.

' auobzr v cit-ohms nnvrcn v Robert 1S; stephens necatur, I'll. AppllcationFebi-uaryfil, 1946; Serial No. 648,947

This invention "relates to improvements-in grouting devices. and it:consists of ithe matters" injecting a grout mixture ofPor'tland cement," sand, water and "other additives; such" as asphalt formed or-fly ash; into water pockets, whichhave in the subg'radeiof theroadbed.

The purpose of such grouting is-tc seal up the water pockets which are produced by the action of passing'trains, inlocations in the roadbed where a relatively impervious subsoil supports the same. By. reason of said action; the. more pervious ballast. is forced. downwardly; by; heavy trailicsand after a-period of time adefinite pocket is formed; in which water accumulates and causes the track "to be quite unstable. 1

The practice: generally followed heretofore in grouting-a'roadbed is to-drive a bull' pointbar through a part of the roadbed. into thepocket, the bar being occasionally turned during the driving thereof. After. driving, said bar. is then withdrawn andthis leaves an opening; tapping the water pocket.- Thereafter; one; end; of. a grouting pipe, which has been. plugged. as with a track belt or other convenient part; is-inserted into and driven down the opening until the plugged end. of" the pipe enters the water pocket and reaches that positionawhere thegrou'tis to be applied. When the pluggedpipe is inplace;

a longrod is inserted into'the upper 'andopen.

end ofthe pipe until it reaches the plug. B3 means ofa suitable tool; suchas a hammer, the

plug is driven from andout of'the lower endof' the pipe and-"is lost for further use. Therod is thenremoved'from the pipe, andthesupper end of said pipe .is then connected ton suitable duct;

such as a hose, leadingfrom a'source of; grout under pressure. The-grout is then forced down. the pipe and out of the now openbottom end to fill the pocket and seal the same. 'Thereaften'the pipe is pu'lledior use in another groutingoperation.

One of the objects of tlre present invention is to provide a simple andefli'cient grouting device, which does not requirethe use, offaplugjforclosing thebottom code! the .pipefthat lost therefrom in each .drivingof the pipe.

Aim-tines object;oi'theinventionais toprovide a device. for this purposewherein thegrout is dischargedlthereiromat oppositesides oithe. lower end of the 'plpe ins'tadl oiv from. the. extremity. thereof, thereby affording alaetter flow and distribntion'ofx-ithee'rout.

Fig. 4 is. a transverse vertical sectional View slots 6-6. The other end of Also, it is afurther object of the invention. to provide a device of this kind, which is of a unitary construction and' carries its own closure and which device may be used over. and over again withoutproviding a 'plug to be lost during each operation or use thereof;

The above mentioned objects ofthe invention, as well as others, along with the advantages thereof will more fully appear as the specification proceeds...

In the drawings I Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a grouting device embodying one form of the invention and.

shows the parts thereof inja driving position, wherein the grout discharge openings are closed or covered by the point of thefdevice.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view through one end of the device when in its operative driven position and when the grout discharge openings are uncovered by the. point of the device, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 on Fig. 1, certain parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a part of the device as takenon the line througha railway track roadbed thathas been rendered unstable by waterpockets, showingthe manner of'using the improved device for making the bedstable.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the im-j proved device includes a relatively long piece of pipe 5; which forms the tubular body of the device. Adjacent what is the bottom end of the body there is provided'a pair of oppositely disposed elongated is externally threaded as at land whereby a conduit B. (see Fig. 4) may be detachablyconnected thereto and which conduit leads from a source of Spaced a short distancev grout under pressure. from the threaded end 1 of the body is an external driving collar 9 which maybe welded to said body. as indicated at 9a in Fig. 1.

Associated'with the first mentioned end of the body is a point member which is indicated as a whole by the numeral ill in Figs. 2 and 4 respectively. The point member includes a stem or shank ll having a head l2 at one end thereof.

The shank H is of a diameter. to have a sliding I telescopic engagement in the associated. end of the tubular body 5 and is of alength somewhat grcater than the distance. between the extremity of. saidtubular body and. those endsof the slots sgafiispaced-sfarthest. from said extremity. "flfhe said tubular body and its ends engage with a sliding fit in saidslots 6-6 When the parts are in the driving position relative to the body 5, as in Fig. 1, the head II of the point member abuts the extremity of the slotted end of the body and the shank H of said member terminates at a point beyond the associated end of the slots 5-6 with the ends of the pin, subfrom a source of grout under pressure, is applied to the threaded end of the body. Grout under pressure now moves down the inside of the body. If the body has been driven into sub-grade material l 9 so far as to seal the slots 6-6, grout will not flow out through the same. Under such conditions, the device is backed out of its hole far enough to bring said slots into the area of the pocket or soft spot for the passage of grout through said slots to fill and seal up the said pocket or soft spot.

1 After the pocket has been sealed, the device .is withdrawn and is ready for use in another position. It isto be noted that the tubular body and the point member form aunitary device, wherein the stantially disposed at said end of the slots. In

this position it will be noted from Fig. 1 that the shank ll of the point member closes or covers the slots.

When the parts are in their working position, the point member will have been moved relatively to the body to be projected therefrom to a position determined by the engagement of the ends of the pin M with those ends of the slots, closest to the extremity of said body. In this position of the parts, which appears in Fig. 2, it is obvious that the greater portions of the slots are uncov-' ered for a passage therethrough of grout under pressure from within the tubular body 5.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated the use of the device in grouting a roadbed that includes a compacted top ballast layer i5 which supports the cross ties i6 and rails I! of the track and which ballast rests upon a substantially open ballast layer l8 locatedabove the subgrade I9, which when consisting largely of clay, is impervious to water drainage. The above is typical of a conventional railway'track bed and in which there frequently forms water pockets that are bottomed by the clayey subgrade.

In the use of the improved device, holes are formed in the ballast as by means of the .buli point bar, before mentioned, starting at points beyond the ends of the ties and extending inwardly and downwardly of the roadbed to terminate at and to tap the water pocket or pockets 20.. After these holes are made, one of the improved unitary devices, with the parts in theposition shown in Fig. 1, is inserted point end l3 first into each hole. A suitable driving head (not shown) is then applied to the threaded upper. end of the tubular body to fitvover said end until it engages the collar 9.

By means of a sledge or pneumatic hammer.

chargeof grout therethrough and into said pocket operating on the driving head, the body 5 of the device is driven downwardly into the hole before mentioned. This driving is relatively easy and is continued until it starts to become hard? and which indicates that the head I2 hasreached and entered the hard solid sub-grade materialjiist below and bottoming .the pocket or soft spot to be grouted. This position of the parts, wherein the slots 6- -6 are closed as in Fig. 1, appears at the left hand side of Fig. 4. v

The driving head is now removed from the body and a rod (not shown) of a length greater than that of the bodyis inserted into the body 5 from its upper threaded end until it. engages the .end.

of'the shank or stem 1 I. Thereafter, with a sledge or the like, this rod is driven downwardly of the bodyand projects the stem to the position shown in Fig. 2 and at the right hand side of Fig. 4 and wherein the slots 8--8 are opened or uncovered.

Said rod is then removedand a conduit leading point member may be used over and over again and'is not lost in each grouting operation or use. Also, it is to be noted that the grout is discharged from opposite sides of the body at a point spaced from its extremity and is not discharged from said extremity and a freer flow and better distribution is afforded.

With the relatively long of the .body 5 .of the device, a greater range of accuracy is available and if. the pocket or soft spotto be grouted is say only, an inch or so deep, the chances forl in up the slots for disor soft spotis considerably improved.

The device 'is'of a simple construction for. low

cost production and is self-cleaning and eflicient.

in operation. i

While in describing. the invention I.have referred indetail to the form and arrangement of the parts involved, the same is to be considered only in the illustrative sense so that I do. not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A grouting device embodying therein a tubular body member haying at least one side opening toward one end thereof, a point member carried by said end of the body and normally covering said opening, said body member and a part of said point member having asliding'fit engagement andbeingrelatiyely movable longitudinally without separation .therebetween to uncover said opening for the passage, of grout therethroughl from the interior of said body member.

2. A grouting device embodying therein a tubular body member having at least one elongated opening toward one end thereof, a point member telescopically engaged with said end of the body and normally covering said opening, said body member anda part of said point member having a sliding fit engagement and being capable of a relative longitudinal movement without separation therebetwcen to uncover said opening for the passage ofgrouttherethrough from the interior of said body member.

'3. A groutingdevice embodying therein a tu-.

bular body member, a point member having a telescopic sliding iit engagement with one end of said body member, one of said members having elongated openings in opposite. sides thereof and the other of said, members carrying means providing pin-like parts'engaged in said slots, said openings being covered in one relative position of said members and being uncovered in another relative position of saidimen bers to permit the passage of grout through sai openings from the interior or said tubular body member.

4. A' grouting device embodying thereina tubular body member havmg'oppositely'disposed b-B in the sides longitudinal openings toward one end thereof, a point member including a cylindrical body having a telescopic sliding fit engagement in said body and in one relative position covering said longitudinal openings, and means carried by said point member and engaged in said openings for limiting the relative movement therebetween without separation, said point member when in I point member carried by said other end of the body and normally covering said opening, said body member and a part of said point member I having a sliding fit engagement and being relaz tively movable without separation therebetween to uncover said opening for the passage of grout therethrough from the interior of the body member, and a driving collar on the outside of the tubular body member toward the first mentioned I end thereof.

ROBERT S. STEPHENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

u UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Name Date 1,106,679 Randall Aug. 11, 1914 1,295,166 Hofimann Feb. 25, 1919 

